Watch our guide to help you buy the perfect joint of beef for your recipe.
1. When buying cuts of beef, the flesh should be moist, the colour should be pink, red or dark red if it’s been aged for longer. Look for meat that has been well cut and neatly trimmed.
2. Fillet of beef is one of most expensive and tender cuts. It is cut from centre of sirloin along back of animal which doesn’t get worked hard. So there will be very little fat on outside of cut as well as minimal marbling in meat. It’s a premium cut that’s ideal for thick steaks, chopped raw to make steak tartare or wrapped in pastry as beef Wellington.
3. Brisket comes from breast of animal, and is a fatty, tougher cut of meat. It is usually sold boned and rolled, though it is sometimes available with bone in. Look for a layer of pale creamy fat on outside and marbling throughout. This cut requires slow cooking at lower temperatures in order to become meltingly tender. It’s also joint to use for making salt beef.
4. Topside comes from upper rump and is a very lean cut with little to no fat marbled through meat, so it’s usually sold with a layer of fat tied around it. Topside can either be diced and braised, or it can be roasted and served cold, thinly sliced.
5. Rib of beef is an expensive cut but is thought of by butchers as the king of roasting joints. It can be prepared on bone, or can come boned and rolled, but choosing joints with bones in will give a better flavour. Make sure meat has a good layer of fat on outside and lots of marbling throughout to keep it moist. It is at its peak when well-aged, so look for meat that is dry to touch and dark red on outer side. Roast for 10min per 500g (1lb 2oz) for rare meat, 15min per 500g (1lb 2oz) for medium-rare meat or 20min per 500g (1lb 2oz) for well-done meat then roast for an extra 10min.
Explore our full list of beef cuts on the Good Housekeeping website: bit.ly/2I94R0s
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4 ноя 2015
